by CY Jones
Angry now, Frost’s pale blue eyes start to glow a shocking white, and he charges me. We’re both locked in a fierce battle of kicks and punches. He’s strong as fuck, and he has a lot of power behind his hits, but I’m quicker. It’s almost like fighting my brother when we were training, except my brother doesn’t send balls of ice at me between hits.
Dropping low, Frost moves in to sweep my legs out from under me, and I barely hop over it landing a one- two punch to his midsection. He grunts in pain, but he recovers quickly flips through the air and swings a ice covered jab at me. I block the hit with my forearm, and lift my knee in time to stop a kick coming for my stomach. What the fuck? Since when did Frost become a freaking ninja? Returning the kick, I aim for his knee, but I end up catching the fleshy part of his thigh instead, which still brings him down. Catching my ankle he throws me across the room from the floor, and I land hard on my side.
“Fuck,” I groan as I pull myself off the ground and slip on the patch of ice Frost surrounds me with.
Lowering my hands, I use fire to melt the ice under me, and then throw a dagger of fire, hitting him on the side and burning his shirt.
“Shit,” I hear him hiss in pain when I send another fire dagger his way, this time hitting him in the thigh.
Flinging his hands up, a wave of ice hits me, taking my breath away. I’m barely on my feet when another wave hits and encases my lower body in a solid block of ice.
“Shite,” I grumble, trying to melt the ice with my fire, but the ice is too thick to make a difference. Horrified, I watch as the ice travel up my body and Frost walking towards me with a triumphant smile on his face.
A high pitch whine catches my attention, and I turn my head towards the sound to see Viper raking her sharp ass nails down wolf Hunter’s side, and digging them into his flesh. I know for a fact that her nails are dipped in poison, and if I don’t get free we are both screwed. Panicking, I try to enhance my fire power, but the ice is still too thick to break through.
“Your face turns such a lovely shade of red when you’re concentrating so hard,” Frost taunts as he clutches his side. Good, I’m glad to see the arse in pain.
“Fuck you, arsehole,” I yell, spitting in his direction.
“I’m sure you will be, and much more, with the plans your father has for you,” he says wickedly. “I personally can’t wait to see what all the fuss is about,” he adds, groping his dick.
“I will never let your tiny pecker anywhere near me,” I sneer.
“Who says you will have a choice? And my cock is not tiny. I’m going to have a lot of fun hearing you scream as I break you open.”
Looks of lust and hate cross his face, and I know I have to get out of this, but the ice has already risen to my chest, and my arms are pinned.
“Be a good girl, and stop struggling, and I might make air holes for you,” Frost says, laughing. The cocky bastard is already celebrating his victory. Probably thinking I’ve given up and that he’s won. Instead, I close my eyes in concentration, and think about when the weird shadow power came to me. What was I thinking about? I was braced to take the hit, ready to die if need be. I was focused and determined.
Trying to portray those same feelings, my body warms and black smoke seeps through the ice. Frost steps back, eyes wide as I step through the ice casing like a ghost. My body is covered from head to toe in shadows. Holding my hand out, a stream of fire exits my palm and lands squarely on Frost’s chest, burning his body completely. His screams of pain fill the room, and the scent of burning flesh overwhelms my nostrils.
Breaking from my trance, I turn my head in time to see Hunter lunge at Viper, grabbing ahold of her neck with his jaws and shaking her back and forth like a rag doll until her neck snaps. Dropping her unmoving body to the ground, Hunter shifts back, and I run into his arms hugging him tight.
“Ouch, Siren,” Hunter cries, clutching his side.
Lowering my eyes I see the nasty trail of Viper’s nails on Hunter’s side already oozing pus from infection.
“She’s poisoned you,” I tell him as I lightly feel around the wound while Hunter hisses in pain.
“I’ll be alright until we get to Cody,” he gasps through clenched teeth. “Come on, let’s free your dad, and get the fuck out of here before someone else comes,” Hunter says, bringing me back to the present.
I walk over to where I lost the dagger and cut the rest of the bindings holding Caleb to the chair. Once he’s free, he grabs me and pulls me into a fierce hug.
“Fuck, I thought I lost you again,” Caleb says, holding me tighter.
“They’ll need someone tougher than Frost to keep me down,” I say, not wanting to admit that I almost thought I was a goner too. If it weren’t for that weird power, that I suspect came from solidifying my bond with Maddie, I would be an icicle right now and on my way to O’Donnell’s.
“What happened?” I ask once I step back from Caleb.
“This was all a trap. Once you and Hunter got split up, O’Donnell’s people moved in, and took Hunter. We had no choice but to split up too. Conner and Cody went after you, your brother left to warn Oreo, and I went after Hunter. They must have had people watching, because I was attacked as soon as I split from the others. I suspect the same happened to Conner and Cody if they aren’t with you,” Caleb explains.
“Gabriel said he has the power to see through lies. He’s always been able to see through my glamour, so I suspect he ratted us out. This was all a set up. I need to find Cody and Conner,” I tell them.
“No. You need to get to the house, and take Hunter with you. I’ll go after my brother and Cody,” Caleb says, crossing his arms.
“Fuck no, that’s my mate out there,” I yell.
“And that’s my brother.” Caleb yells back.
What the fuck? We don’t have time for this. Why does Caleb have to be so damn difficult all the time? The guards that are posted outside the building could enter at any time, or find the passed out guard I dumped in the bushes. Breathing hard I’m fully ready to tell Caleb to fuck off when he says the only possible thing that would stop me.
“Hunter needs you. If he has any chance of surviving the poison in his system he’ll need your help to get him back to the house.” My eyes shift to Hunter, and I notice that while I was arguing with Caleb, he has taken a seat in the chair. His eyes are closed, and his normally tan skin is super pale, and green puss is leaking from his wounds.
“Shite,” I say as I bend down to my knees and kneel in front of him “Hunter, are you ok?” I ask, shaking him gently. He doesn’t reply, but he does groan, showing that he is still alive.
“What can I do?” I ask Caleb in a weak voice.
“Give him your blood. The bond will keep him alive and stall the poison long enough for you to get home where DelaCorte has a storage of antidotes stored in the study,” Caleb answers. “I know this is hard, but trust that I will bring your mate back. He’s my son in law, and I do not wish to see him die, nor Hunter. He needs you more right now. I have a bond to my brother. I will be able to find him far quicker than you can.”
Nodding, I relent, biting into my arm, and drip my blood into Hunter’s mouth that he immediately laps up like a dog dying of thirst. He opens his eyes, and I’m relieved to see they’re not glazed over, and his skin starts to warm with color.
“We need to go,” I say, helping him up.
I notice for the for the first time that he’s completely naked, forgetting that he shifted earlier, and his clothes are currently shredded pieces of cloth on the floor. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on a simple outfit of jeans, boots, and a green t-shirt. When I open my eyes again, I’m relieved to see Hunter wearing the same outfit I dreamt up. I don’t need the complication of cops stopping us about a streaking Hunter and slowing us down. Caleb pats my shoulder affectionately, and runs off towards the door I snuck in. Pulling on Hunter, I leave and pray to any God that will listen that we will all live through this. I hope my brother is ok, and that Caleb
will be able to save Conner, and my mate.
Thirty-Four
I never thought I’d be that girl
Once outside, I steal a car. Using a rock, I wrapped it in a bit of cloth, and break the window. It only takes me a few seconds to hotwire it, and soon we're on our way back to the house. I have been driving maybe twenty minutes when another vehicle swoops in close behind me, damn near kissing my bumper. Looking in the rearview mirror I see Hangman behind the wheel of a dark SUV with Silas sitting in the passenger side.
“Shite.” How the fuck did they find me so damn quickly? I know Silas would never give me up, so they must have this area, and any other road leading back to the coast, under surveillance. The SUV bumps the back of the small car I stole hard, and I’m barely able to keep the car stable. Pressing down hard on the gas, I drive as fast as it can go cursing that I chose such a rustbucket, piece of shit of a car to steal, but beggars can’t be choosers. It was the first car I saw parked on the street. Any more hits like that, and the poor rust bucket will fall apart on the street. I’m glad there isn’t any traffic out.
The SUV catches up, and Hangman drives up to the passenger side of the car and attempts to ram me again. Luckily, I guess his intent and break hard, snapping both Hunter and I forward, and the SUV barely misses us.
“Shit, Remy. You’re not going to be able to outrun them in this car,” Hunter croaks.
“I know,” I say through clenched teeth, pushing my foot down hard on the gas again.
I don’t need him to state the obvious. I already know we’re screwed. I’m not going to be able to outrun them on the highway, so making an impulsive decision, I jerk the wheel hard to the right taking the exit, and speeding down the empty street.
The SUV is still close to our ass, but at least now we have some leeway as they don’t have any room to maneuver around us on the single lane roads. A flash of red grabs my attention and then fire bursts on the road in front of us.
“Did Silas just throw a fireball at us?” Hunter asks angrily.
Before I could answer, another fire ball hits the road on the side of us, and sends the foliage there bursting into flames. I’ve seen Silas work his magic before. These are half arse attempts. He’s still on our side. He wants us to get away.
“Yeah, but he’s not focusing on purpose,” I tell Hunter taking another hard right.
“You could have fooled me,” Hunter argues.
“Look Hunter, I know you don’t trust Silas, but you really need to look at this from his perspective. He can’t let on that he’s working with us, so he can’t just sit back and do nothing. Trust me when I tell you that if he wanted to hit us, he would have.”
I leave it at that. I do not have time to argue with the paranoid wolf. The SUV creams the back of the car again, and we’re thrust forward. I try turning the wheel to the left, fully committed to doing an illegal U-turn, when Hangman clips the side of the car hard and sends us flying. I’m screaming as we go flying through the air. The car flips over and over, before finally landing in a ditch on the side of the road.
My ears are ringing, and I suspect the wetness dripping from the side of my head is blood. The car is currently upside down, and the only thing keeping me and Hunter in our seats are the seatbelts. I look over at Hunter and see that he’s passed out with his arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Faintly, I hear the sound of car doors banging shut in the distance through the ringing in my ears, and I unsnap my seatbelt.
When I’m free, I go crashing down on my head, and I quickly flip myself upright. Turning to Hunter, I undo his seatbelt and slowly lower his body before shaking him awake.
“Are you ok?” He mumbles once he’s fully awake and aware of our situation.
“Yes, but we’re seconds from being discovered. I’m going to use my wind power to lift the car, and we’re going to have to take off like our arses are on fire. Can you shift?” I ask him as I piece a plan together. We will have a better chance of getting away in our wolf forms.
“No. The poison is blocking my shifting abilities,” he answers shaking his head.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
I don’t know how far we are from the house, or at what point who ever is following us will get lost, but we have to try. We are sitting ducks right now, and the longer we wait, the worse it's going to get. I did not go back to save Hunter just for us both to get caught.
“The plan doesn't change. As soon as I lift the car, we run, ok?” I say, nodding to him, and he nods back. We both press together as close as possible. The sun roof in the car was shattered from the crash. I plan on lifting the car, allowing us to slip through the sunroof and then hurdle the car in Hangman’s direction. I wonder why he hasn’t come for us yet, and though I suspect he’s waiting for backup before claiming his prize, which only spurs me into action faster. Concentrating, I let the light feeling that I use to tap into my air power overcome me, and I lift the car over our heads. I hear a curse, and once Hunter and I are free from the car, I throw it in Hangman’s direction.
Neither Hunter nor I look back to see if I hit my target. Once I release the car we take off down the street, and into the woods. I was lucky enough to drive close enough to a forested area, and in the distance, I can hear water. Salt is in the air, so we have to be close to the beach somewhere. I’m hoping were close enough to the house to lose these fuckers.
“Do you know where we are?” I ask Hunter.
“No.” He answers, breathing hard.
I know he’s hurting like hell, but we can’t stop. Who knows how close their backup is or if Hangman’s still pursuing us. Running east, we try to get as close to the ocean as we can. I’m basically following my nose since neither of us know where are going. We’re running for about twenty minutes when the terrain starts to change and the dense forest turns rocky. Running up-hill now, we sprint forward, and hope starts to fill my heart. The rocky ground is now turning sandy, and the smell of the sea is thick in my nostrils. We’re going to make it. Soon we’ll be free. I look over at Hunter, and I see the same hope on his face until we both stop abruptly at the sight in front of us.
We’re high on a huge cliff with the sea below us and nowhere else to run.
“Fuck,” I scream turning around and preparing to backtrack when I hear the sound of thundering footsteps.
We are trapped, with nowhere else to go except the churning sea below us. Hangman comes into view with a nasty looking bruise on the side of his face, and Silas following closely behind him. A taunting smile graces Hangman’s face when he sees our predicament.
“Give up, Shadow. There's nowhere left to run,” Hangman shouts.
I lift my hands, and Hangman shakes his head.
“Ah uh. Don’t try it, or Silas here will make you regret it,” Hangman says, halting me.
Silas is a powerful elemental mage. We’re surrounded by the elements and it would look suspicious if he couldn’t capture or stop me this close. I can see the fight on his face, and it breaks my heart. It also kills me when I see he’s made his decision. He’s preparing to help us get away, and I can’t let him do it. O’Donnell would kill his family or worse. I’m not worth that kind of sacrifice.
I feel Hunter grab my hand, tugging me closer towards the cliff edge, and I immediately know what he wanted. He wants us to jump, but I can’t do that either. I can hear the backup that Hangman was waiting on earlier approaching, and they’re close. If we jump they’ll still come after us. O’Donnell only wants me not Hunter. He still has a chance. The others are closer now, and it won’t be long before they’re upon us. I only have one shot at this. Resolved to my fate, I turn to Hunter with tears fall from my eyes, confusing him.
“It’s ok, baby, we’ll make it,” he says quietly, and I nod.
I know after I do this, he will hate me. He won’t understand why I’d leave him. I never thought I’d be that girl, the one that sacrifices herself, at least not for anyone other than her brother, but here I am. Maddie knew all along that
it would come to this, and just like I told him, I’m prepared to trade my life for Hunter’s.
Turning back to Hunter, I kiss him on the lips softly, whispering “I love you,” before I push him over the cliff with all my strength. I use my wind power to make him he fly further out, and then I tap into my water abilities, allowing the waves to carry him far out into the sea, away from here. Hopefully he’ll be found in time. Hopefully my blood will hold off the poison. He cannot die, not after what I’m giving up to save him.
Conceding defeat, I turn back to the others that I can hear behind me, and my eyes widen in shock. Standing only a couple feet in front of me is the monster himself. The man my mother ran from, the one who has made my life a living hell. Standing not two feet in front of me is Patrick O’Donnell, a sinister smile planted firmly on his face.
“Hello, daughter. Did you miss your da?” he asks in his thick Scottish accent.
That’s all I hear before everything goes black.
To be continued…...
About the Author
CY Jones is a retired Army Veteran who lives in the suburb of South Carolina with her three children and two German Shepherds, Skittles and Raiden. In her spare time she likes to dream about supernaturals and the stories the voices in her head tell her to write. When she’s not writing she’s busy chasing after her children, her dreams, and the stars.
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